The Gift of the Wyvern
by Orzza
Summary: What if monsters were a real threat in the Elemental Nations, and not just the Human kind? What would the repercussions be if Minato fell in love with a mysterious Monster Hunter by the name of Ryooshi Tsumei and not Kushina? Rated T, may change to M if things become a little more adult. Kekkai Genkai Naruto.


**DISCLAIMER: If you're not a monster hunter fan don't worry, I've tried to make this accessible to people who aren't monster hunter fans, however use of the monster hunter wiki may serve you well in some instances.**

**NOTE: If you haven't read, or do not care about my other stories then skip this author note and continue on with the story. (Don't forget to review and leave your thoughts and stuff, it's great hearing what people think of my writing and I really appreciate the time you take to leave criticism, praise or both!)**

**Alright, long time no see my old fans, my new fans and randoms alike. I apologise that this is not an update for the Champion of Clan Namikaze nor Shinobi Son Gohan. **

**Really I am, I know it's been a long time. I've been incredibly busy and my co-author for both those stories has been having his own problems so we've really not had the time to produce any more content for those stories. Do not worry, they are not dead, I have plenty of ideas bouncing around my head, too many even. Which is why writing them with the limited time I've had has been such a nightmare.**

**And before you say I had the time to write this. This idea popped into my head many months back and I smashed this introduction out. I've come back to it, touched it up and have decided to put it up as a little bit of entertainment for you guys to see what kind of reception it got. I liked writing it because it has more OC than normal :). It hasn't been extensively beta'd as Rixxell just doesn't have the time right now to help me with three stories, I'm just glad I have him for my other two.**

**Anyway let me know what you think, and most importantly of all, enjoy!**

****Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Monster Hunter. :(

* * *

**The Gift of the Wyvern**

**Chapter 1: Monster 101**

* * *

_I've got to look my best today or people aren't going to take me seriously!_ Naruto Namikaze thought as he inspected himself in the sliding door of his wardrobe that doubled as a mirror.

He tried to get his black mop of hair to sit right but once again failed miserably; one day he'd get it down he was sure of it. At least the young graduate understood why his father never tried to tame his blonde mess of hair, because if it was anything like his it was a waste of time.

He straightened the dark blue short sleeve V-neck he was wearing and tucked it into his long black cargo pants before donning his deep red weather jacket, stuffing a bunch of scrolls into its pockets and putting his combat webbing over his head before buckling it down tight.

What made up Naruto's combat webbing was a series of old worn out leather belts and pouches his grandfather had put together for him three years prior. It gave him convenient places to put things he needed access to quickly but the selling point for Naruto was the holster on the back that allowed him to stow his short sword and shield in the event he needed to use his hands for something else.

Now a short sword and shield might not seem like conventional weaponry for a ninja but Naruto was no ordinary shinobi; he was a monster hunter.

Slipping on and buckling black boots that came up to just below his knees he took one final look in the mirror and smiled, excited that today he was finally getting put on a genin team, he was finally going on shinobi missions!

Shinobi missions were what he was really excited about, he undertook missions for the Hunter's Guild that he and every member of his family were a part of regularly, both because he earned money from them and because he needed to keep the headaches his Kekkai Genkai gave him at bay.

It had started when he was eight.

One day he just woke up and his eyes had changed. He'd seen them before; his grandfather had an eye similar, his other eye having been destroyed during the fateful hunt that took both the old man's right leg and his wife, Naruto's grandmother.

All of his senses felt enhanced, and instead of his pupils being round they were elongated vertically, the full height of his irises, much like a dragon's eye he'd been told. According to his grandfather it was both a gift and a curse, and his clan, the Ryooshi, called it The Gift of the Wyvern.

After the transformation of his eyes came the hunger for the kill, the ever-present anticipation of the hunt. There had been times over the past few years where the drive, the urge had grown so strong as to give him splitting headaches, only ever relieved by draining the essence of life from a monster.

His grandfather, Atsukaji Ryooshi, master blacksmith of Konoha and resident monster hunting expert had told him stories of people from their clan with The Gift that hadn't heeded its call, people that hadn't taken up the hunt. It hadn't taken long for the headaches to kill them.

Naruto had been relieved to hear that he only need survive the headaches until his Kekkai Genkai matured, a process normally completed with the draining of any number of greater leviathan or flying wyvern, depending on the individual. Once The Gift of the Wyvern had matured, it truly was a gift, the only problem was taking down leviathan and wyvern; they were the tricky part.

Atsukaji Ryooshi had managed to do it in his early years, before he reached the age of twenty-five, which worked out well, because taking down a monster leviathan with one eye and one leg might have been an issue for the man if he'd been working on the clock the kekkai genkai ran on. Chances are the headaches would have killed him before he'd had the chance to recover.

So that was what Naruto did when he wasn't at the academy or training with his friend Uchiha Sasuke. He hunted monsters. His parents had planned on introducing him to the world of monster hunting a little later in his life, but The Gift of the Wyvern didn't wait for anybody.

It was something he loved to do, although he wasn't sure if that was solely because of The Gift. Every time he took the power from a monster it felt as if he grew stronger himself, the life he took not just helping to relieve the headaches and the urge, but doing something more, improving his body, making him a better hunter.

The first time he'd killed something bigger than your average Jaggi had been the real surprise. He was nine; a year into his career when he took down a Great Jaggi, a beast that loomed over him with its reptilian form, giant coloured frill, barbed tail, and razor sharp teeth.

He'd come prepared though and he'd taken it down, capturing it. Draining its essence came naturally, as simple to the young boy as placing his hand to the struggling beast and drawing the life from the creature as easily as if he were drawing chakra from within himself.

It had been on that day he realized what a gift The Gift of the Wyvern was, for while it could potentially kill him if he couldn't hunt a creature, it could also make him stronger. After his first Great Jaggi kill he felt stronger, faster, better in every way. He could only imagine what draining a greater leviathan would feel like, what strange power they might give him.

Naruto knew that if he was ever going to surpass his father and be recognized not as the son of the greatest shinobi to have ever lived, but Naruto Namikaze, hero of Konoha and Hokage of the greatest village in the elemental nations he'd need the power his bloodline limit could grant him.

Unfortunately for now he was stuck fighting Jaggi, Jaggia and Great Jaggi, and after the first Great Jaggi the others weren't providing nearly as great a power boost; Naruto could only reason that he'd only gain a noticeable boost in his power if a Great Jaggi he killed was considerably more powerful compared to the rest.

He wanted to fight bigger and more fearsome creatures, creatures he'd seen his father and mother illustrate in their journals, but they'd told him no, he was too young and he needed more experience. And so every day he trained, hunted, sparred, and every time he completed a mission for his grandfather he hoped that he'd get a more exciting quest.

He figured that now he was a real shinobi he'd get a mission to kill a more powerful creature, but in the end he knew he'd just have to wait and see.

The young monster hunter finished checking his appearance, poked his head out his door and looked downstairs, where he could hear his sister eating a bowl of cereal, the small crunch, crunch, crunch, quite evident to the boy.

"Hey sis, I'm heading to the academy now to get put into a team of genin! You jealous?"

"Not really," she mumbled, her head stuck in a book and her hand moving robotically downwards to scoop up more of her breakfast; the only indication that she was even hiding behind the book being the top of her blonde head just peeking up over its edge.

"Awww, well you're no fun," he said with a pout she couldn't see.

"Since when have I ever been fun?" she replied, turning the page with the hand she was holding the book with.

"Well," the dark haired graduate began to think, "You've got a point! Oh well, tell mum I've already left and stuff,"

"Whatever," was all the reply he got from his sister before he sprinted across his room, grabbing his sword and shield and jumping up onto his windowsill before stopping to smell the fresh air of Konoha with an audible sigh.

"Today has to be a good day," he said to no one in particular before he jumped clean across the street and made his way to the academy, making sure to stop at his grandfather's workshop along the way.

xXx

He jumped from the roof of a building, landing deftly in the doorway to the shop, voices coming from the flaps that divided the store from the workshop. The store was a simple affair with some chairs, a table and a small counter area that barely got used. All the merchandise was kept out in the workshop as most of it was made to order.

"YOU DARE QUESTION ME?" a booming voice rang out, assaulting Naruto's sensitive hearing as it always did.

"U-Ummm I was only saying that we got this order quoted by someone else and they said they could do it ch-cheaper," another voice stuttered nervously.

"Look here! I've been smithing my entire life, and I've even used a number of the weapons I smith in battle. You want some piece of shit smith that tells you he can do my job better for cheaper you can go pay him but I'm telling you now, no one can do my job better! You come here, you pay for quality and quality is what you get, GOT IT?" Atsukaji Ryooshi roared before a frightened scrawny looking man came backing out of the workshop.

"Y-yes, yes I'm sorry Atsukaji-san!" he said, bowing as he walked.

"That's sama to you runt!" the gruff voice of Naruto's grandfather sounded out from the workshop.

"I'm sorry Atsukaji-sama!" the man wailed as he gave up on the courtesies, turning and running from the shop altogether.

"You keep treating your customers like that Ji-Ji and you won't have any work," Naruto remarked with a laugh as he poked his head through the flaps that the scared man had just retreated through and looked his grandfather up and down.

Atsukaji was a hulking mass of muscle topped with a head of silver hair. The old hunter had a straight nose and a defined jawline that was covered in a haze of white stubble; his elongated canines protruded over the top of his bottom lip whenever he closed his mouth. His piercing blue eye with it's elongated pupil contrasted the grey eye patch he wore over his empty left socket and he had his shoulder length silver hair tied back in a ponytail so it didn't get in the way as he worked.

The smith was wearing a black singlet and grey shorts underneath his large blue apron. With the length of his shorts you could easily see the replacement pneumatic shock-absorbing stump he'd made himself after losing his right leg up to the knee, the stump he kept telling Naruto had a bunch of cool upgrades that he never ended up showing off, always saying they were a surprise. Naruto wondered if he'd ever see any of the special features.

The beast of a man laughed at Naruto's observation before turning back to his work, "Yeah, right. People know I'm the best. If they want the best weapons they come to me, anyway what do you want?"

"Just dropping by to tell you I'm getting my official team today!" Naruto said enthusiastically, "And here to drop off my kill from last night, another Great Jaggi," the young boy reached into his jacket and tossed his grandfather a scroll.

"And?" the old man enquired slyly, knowing Naruto wasn't finished.

"Wondering if you have any better missions for me besides Great Jaggi?" Naruto uttered quickly, hoping to rip the band-aid off as quickly as possible.

"You know I don't kid, and if I did your mother would be getting them, not you," the expert hunter said with a sincere smile, he really did love his grandkids, "You're too small, a leviathan would eat your itty bitty self up no problem,"

The young ninja sighed, "Fiinneeee, but what happens if we're on a mission and one attacks us?"

"Then run, run very far away very quickly. Now get out of here, you've got stuff to do, I've got stuff to do; scram midget!" he bellowed with a smile and a laugh before turning back to work.

Naruto just stood in the doorway with a deadpan expression on his face.

"What kid?" his grandfather asked when he realized his grandson hadn't left.

"You haven't paid me,"

"OH, Haha, right," reaching over to a nearby desk the sixty-two year old picked up a scroll, inspected it and tossed it to his grandson.

Naruto caught it deftly before poking his tongue out at his grandfather and bolting back out through the shop, making his way toward the academy.

xXx

Sasuke sat with his chin on his right hand waiting for his best friend to arrive, hoping he wasn't late; they only had a few more minutes before they were supposed to start announcing the assigned teams.

A cute looking girl with blonde hair and blue eyes walked up next to him with a gleam in her eyes that said she was clearly in love with him, pointed to the empty seat by the window on the other side of him and went to open her mouth, "Ca-,"

"Dream on sister," Sasuke remarked dryly.

"Huh?" she replied just as daftly.

"I mean keep walking, the seat's taken," he commented again, never taking his eyes from the board at the front of the class.

"But no one's sitting there?" she was rather confused by his observation; the seat was clearly empty.

"Let me put it to you this way," Sasuke said bluntly, about ready to ruin this idiotic girl's day, "I will never ever wan-," he cut himself off when he heard a disturbance outside.

Sasuke didn't bother finishing what he was going to say but turned his head slightly toward the girl to stare at her, "Go away," he uttered before lifting his hand and flicking it in a shooing manner, getting the girl to walk away sullenly just as Naruto came flying through the open window, planting himself in the window seat the girl had been hoping to occupy.

"Sup?" he asked casually as he put his sword and shield on the desk and propped his feet up on top of them, leaning back on his chair.

"Nothing, just girls being girls," the Uchiha grumbled, "Oh and you being just on time, way to leave me hanging, seriously."

"Yeah, okay, okay, chill out, I had to go see gramps," Naruto said, trying to placate his friend.

"About?" his friend was normally an open book, but he had a few secrets that constantly bugged him, like what was up with his eyes, and why there were times when he just disappeared; like yesterday afternoon.

"Can't say," Naruto replied nonchalantly before closing his eyes and leaving the Uchiha to his thoughts.

One day he had just come to class late with these eyes that looked like they belonged to a cat, elongated pupils and everything. No matter what anyone had said to him he wouldn't share what had happened. Sasuke just figured it was some Kekkai Genkai and that Naruto would tell him later, but even with him his friend was tight lipped, and he never told him why he was always going to see his grandfather.

Kekkai Genkai and secrets aside Sasuke was glad to have Naruto as his friend. The guy was a talented ninja for their age, not as talented as Itachi was at age eleven but he was still crazy at what he did, they'd always ace the academy exercises whenever they were paired together.

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by Umino Iruka, "Now everyone, listen up. I may not be your usual teacher, but she couldn't make it today, so I'll be handling your assignment to your genin squads, also congratulations on passing the academy," he announced clearly.

"Team 1 will be Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee and Aburame Machiko, under the command of Might Guy," Iruka continued before Might Guy stepped forward from the crowd of jounin at the front of the class.

"Yes! My students, I'd like you to be back here by no later than twelve sharp, we must handle our affairs while the day is still young!" the enthusiastic green spandex clad jounin shouted to everyone in the room at once.

"Ughhh, Naruto, wake me up when I get called or something, I have a feeling this is going to take way longer than it should," the impatient Uchiha complained before resting his head on the desk.

Iruka announced teams two through six before Naruto finally heard his name called.

"Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Mikoto Tenten under the command of Hatake Kakashi,"

"Right," the masked jounin said from within the line-up of remaining team leaders without taking his visible eye from the book he had in his hand, "meet on the roof at noon, until then, do whatever,"

"Finally," Naruto whined, grabbing his sword and shield and jumping out the window he'd arrived through, scaling the outside of the building with ease. The rest of the students in the class used to the behavior that many would find strange.

It wasn't long before he heard his friend sigh exasperatedly and get up to follow him.

xXx

Tenten couldn't say that she was unhappy with her assigned team; far from it, she was glad she'd been partnered with the son of the Hokage and the brother of Itachi Uchiha. Both of them she knew to be exceptional for their age, she just hoped she could keep up; if she couldn't she'd just have to train that much harder.

While she wasn't too much of a stranger with Naruto, having visited his grandfather's shop a number of times to procure items that her family couldn't get their hands on or knew Atsukaji could create more effectively, she didn't really know Sasuke outside of class.

_I hope we get along, if we can be an effective team I'll be on my way to becoming a strong kunoichi just like Tsunade! _the young brown eyed girl thought as she made her way up to the roof of the academy just before twelve.

Two black heads of hair turned toward the sound of her opening the door, the black eyes of the Uchiha and the blue eyes of Naruto Namikaze assessing her for a second before Naruto leaned toward his friend and whispered, "See I told you she wasn't a fangirl, I mean have you ever seen her try and approach you? It would have been cruel, and rather stupid to put a fangirl on our team, she'd never actually do anything," he finished loud enough for Tenten to hear.

Naruto was quick to note that she was wearing a pink sleeveless blouse with dark green pants and had a scroll sitting against her lower back.

"You thought I was a fangirl?" Tenten said blankly, looking toward Sasuke before rage crossed across her face and she flung a kunai that she seemed to grasp from nowhere directly at the Uchiha.

Sasuke was just as quick, reaching into a supply pouch for a kunai of his own, deflecting the attack and returning in earnest with a handful of shuriken.

She matched every single flying piece of metal with one of her own before Naruto spoke up.

"I like her already," he said with a smile, diffusing the situation a little and causing both of them to freeze.

"What do you mean already? We've met before Naruto-san," Tenten queried, a little confused, had he forgotten about her? She knew he had an ego but that was a bit much.

"Yeah but we've never hung out, and you've certainly never attacked my friend so now I guess I know you better, still that was cool. And we're glad you're not a fangirl, because that would have driven us nuts."

"Good throw by the way," Sasuke remarked as she made her way over to sit on the left hand side of Sasuke while Naruto sat on his right, "I mean you did attack me, but it's better you be hyper aggressive than a blubbering mess,"

"I'll take that as a compliment?"

"You should, the last five times Sasuke spoke to a girl they either ended up crying or about to cry," Naruto replied cheekily to the disgruntlement of his friend.

Before the conversation could continue Hatake Kakashi appeared before them in a whorl of leaves.

"Sup Kakashi?" Naruto said nonchalantly, nonplussed by a technique outdone with ease by the one his father would use in training with him.

The silver haired man sighed through his mask before speaking, "Hey Naruto, you know you're gonna have to start calling me Kakashi-sensei from now on right? Anyway for the rest of you I'm Hatake Kakashi and I guess I'll be your sensei. I'd like you to tell me a little about yourselves, likes, dislikes, hopes and dreams, that sort of stuff, so you can better get to know each other,"

"Uhhh, okay, you go first to show us how it's done Ero-sensei,"

"Narruuttooo," Kakashi said threateningly.

"Oh come on Kakashi-**sensei** you think my dad keeps his Icha-Icha collection that well hidden? I've seen what's in those books, and I've never seen you without one in your hand,"

"Naruto-san show some respect," Tenten scolded, not wanting to get on the bad side of their new teacher so soon, even if Naruto seemed to know him.

"You'd call him ero-sensei too if you knew what was in those books Ten-chan," Naruto said, beckoning her closer around the back of Sasuke who simply smiled a knowing smile.

As he began whispering in her ear the look on her face went from stern to incredulous, to disgusted, before she broke away, "Ewwww! That can't be right! He's not telling the truth is he Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi just deadpanned in response.

"I think you'll find the more fitting term is ero-sensei, Ten-chan," Naruto said with a gleeful smile while Kakashi recovered from the dread of the situation.

"Naruto, I realized I was going to have trouble training someone who knew me, especially someone like you, but I can easily put a word in with your father," Kakashi replied with an eye-smile.

This drained the colour straight out of the boy's face and Tenten couldn't help but giggle while Sasuke snickered.

"Right, back on task then. As you know I'm Hatake Kakashi, my likes-,"

"*cough* Icha-Icha *cough*," Naruto said with a cheeky grin before Kakashi continued, pretending not to hear a thing.

"My dislikes are Naruto and my hopes and dreams, well that's for another day," he finished, trying to stay as mysterious as he could given that Naruto was getting under his skin, "how about you go next?" he added, pointing toward Tenten.

"Well my name is Mikoto Tenten, and I like collecting all kinds of weapons and then throwing said weapons at things, I dislike people who waste my time, and I hope to one day be the greatest kunoichi Konoha has ever seen!" the young brunette finished enthusiastically, before turning to Sasuke, "what about you?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, like to train, hate not training, despise fan girls, and I hope to one day become a greater shinobi than my brother," he commented abruptly to get on with it and pass the buck to Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, training, and beating people in shougi. I hate wasting my time and people only noticing me because of my dad and it's for that reason I also hate fangirls. I hope to one day surpass my father as the greatest shinobi Konoha has ever seen and be the Hokage!" the young blue-eyed shinobi roared from the rooftop, standing with his fist in the air.

"Good," Kakashi started once it was clear Naruto had finished his little monologue and was sitting again, "it sounds like you're all pretty motivated which gives you a better than average chance tomorrow when you take your final test,"

"Final test? How did I know the academy would screw us over again?" Sasuke complained, looking at Naruto as if he'd known this was coming.

"This has nothing to do with the academy, you passed the academy, but I can still send you back if I think you don't have what it takes to be a genin of Konoha. Just be at training ground twenty one tomorrow at ten in the morning, and don't eat breakfast," the jounin finished, disappearing in a shun shin.

"What do you think the test will be?" Tenten asked the other two graduates in her team, they seemed to know what they were doing most of the time.

"Hmmmmmm," Naruto looked deep in thought for a second before giving up, "no idea, but I'm going to go train and I'm sure as hell not skipping breakfast tomorrow," he yawned as he got up and stretched his legs before taking a few steps and bounding off the rooftop, rolling when he hit the ground and heading back toward his home.

"Is he always like that?" Tenten wondered out loud to her Uchiha teammate who was getting up off the ground less enthusiastically.

"Pretty much, I can never get him to sit still for very long when there isn't anything for him to keep himself occupied with. If he's tracking or trapping you or just plain playing a game of shougi you'll never out wait him. It's like the thrill of combat or competition snaps him straight into serious mode. It's good, but it doesn't make it any less weird. Anyway, see you tomorrow I guess," Sasuke said before running down the side of the building effortlessly.

"Uhh, I think I'll take the stairs," the young brunette weapon collector said to herself as she gawped at the rather athletic feats of Sasuke and Naruto.

xXx

_Ughh I just had to get the motivated team. I guess I knew what I was in for when I offered to be the leader of Naruto's team. Just with all three of them wanting to be the best and brightest? I've got my work cut out for me that's for sure, _Kakashi thought to himself, sighing as he looked down at the book in his hand and making his way home, _this better not cut into my time with you. _

xXx

"So, how'd your team assignment go?" Minato remarked with a knowing smile as the five members of the Namikaze family ate dinner.

"Yeah brat, did you get a good team?" the old blacksmith questioned with a mouthful of rice.

"Yeah gramps, and why are you even asking dad? I knew you'd put me under someone like Kakashi, he better teach us stuff instead of just reading that pervy book of his," Naruto complained to his family, "besides we have to pass some test tomorrow for it to be finalized, knowing Kakashi he'll want us to get the numbers of as many chicks as we can in an hour."

Naruto's mother Tsumei snorted at this remark before composing herself and speaking, "Actually Naruto I'm sure the test will be nothing like that, ours wasn't,"

Namikaze Tsumei (formely Ryooshi Tsumei) was the daughter of Atsukaji and a fellow monster hunter of the Hunter's Guild. She was a beautiful woman with a small nose that turned up slightly and a pointed chin. Long straight black hair with a straight fringe framed her face and eyes; one green and one blue.

She sported an athletic figure with a slightly above average bust and long legs that weren't completely distinguishable in the simple grey and black kimono adorning her body; having not had a mission to complete that day.

"Well at least it's good to know that it's a universal thing and not some invention Kakashi came up with to toy with us," the young graduate huffed.

"Calm down son, I'm sure you'll do fine, you have a fine friend in Sasuke and a good teammate in Tenten, her academy scores were good and I hear she's very motivated, so she won't hold you back," Minato explained to try and ease his son's mood.

"Yeah yeah," Naruto grumbled before his sister spoke up.

"It's rather obvious actually. It'll most likely be a test of teamwork. You're a newly created team and while they've tested your combat skills in the academy they couldn't test your ability to work as a team too well, at least they haven't been able to in my classes yet, so it only makes sense," the normally stoic and silent blonde nine year old that was Shizuka Namikaze said from behind the book she was reading; it was different from the one she'd been reading that morning.

"That actually makes sense, thanks Zuka-chan-,"

"Stop calling me that Naruto-baka," she spat abruptly.

"Bite me Zuka-chan," Naruto responded in kind.

"Hey, cut it out you two, and Shizuka I swear you are too smart for your own good sometimes," the black haired, blue and green-eyed beauty that was their mother commanded calmly.

"Well duh, it was obvious," Shizuka explained before returning to silence, her full attention back to getting her reading done as quickly as possible. Her parents had tried to stop her reading at the dinner table when she was four years old but it had been a futile effort, she always managed to pull something to read from thin air, and they figured if she was learning something useful they would allow it.

"Thanks for dinner mum, I'm going to bed, need to get up and trap the crap out of the training field we're supposed to be using tomorrow,"

"Night hun," Tsumei smiled as her son stood up from the table.

"Good luck tomorrow Naruto, I'm sure you'll do fine, but be careful and don't take Kakashi lightly," Minato cautioned.

"I won't dad, why do you think I'm bothering with the traps?" Naruto sure as hell wasn't going back to the academy, whatever test it was he was going to be ready, because that place was too damn boring.

xXx

(10:00 am – Training Ground 21)

"So shouldn't he be here already?" Tenten complained from her position sitting under a tree.

"This is Kakashi, he's always late to everything. We once had a family dinner and invited him; he arrived when desert was being served with some half-assed excuse. Consider it one of his many character flaws. Anyway," Naruto commented as he dropped from the tree to land next to her, "I finished setting the traps, this should be fun."

Sasuke made his way across the field and planted himself next to his two new teammates, "I finished rigging ninja wire all over the place. He's going have a hard time of us today," he grinned.

"Alright well I should probably tell you guys where the traps are, and what they do."

"Umm Naruto?" she asked tentatively, "it's cool that you know all this, but how did you even learn where to do all this trapping stuff? They never went into too much detail in the academy, it's like you've got some master guide. And what's your weapon made of? I've never seen that kind of hide before."

Naruto's weapon of choice, courtesy of his early start at monster hunting was a sword and shield, but it wasn't like anything the young girl had seen before. The back edge of the steel blade was serrated from where the steel emerged from the guard halfway up the blade, while the front curved toward the tip. The guard was made of some kind of scaly purple hide that looked incredibly durable and extended up the blade in a point stopping midway along the steel.

The shield was a rounded triangle that was obviously steel but also coated in the same hide as the guard on the blade; it had five large claws curving upwards along the front of the shield near the top. Tenten thought the combination of sword and shield, these in particular, were beautiful and she wondered just how much experience Naruto had with them. (1)

"Don't bother Tenten," Sasuke replied dejectedly while his friend just grinned, "he won't tell you, he's never told me. Anyway, you were saying Naruto?"

"Yes, as I was saying, I've put traps here, here and…"

xXx

It was another hour before Kakashi arrived to explain the details of the test. He appeared in the middle of the field in a shun-shin calling his young charges over from the tree line where they sat in the shade.

"Nice work with those traps Naruto, but did you really think I wouldn't notice them before the fight?" Kakashi mocked with an eye-smile when Naruto cursed, "now on to the test," he continued to the eager graduates before him, they all seemed rather serious but he doubted he'd have a hard time with them, "You will acquire these bells from me," he held up two shining silver bells for them to see.

"Whoever can get a bell from me in the next hour will pass," the wily Jounin grinned.

Tenten's stomach dropped at those words, "B-but there are only two bells?" she queried in the hopes her suspicion wasn't correct.

"Exactly," was all the reply she got, "begin!" he shouted, shun-shinning away.

"Right, group in the trees, now," Naruto commanded, sprinting to the tree line with Sasuke in tow as Tenten stood shocked in the center of the field.

_Naruto and Sasuke are too good. I'm never going to get a bell if I work with them _she thought.

"What are you waiting for!?" Naruto shouted back toward her, beckoning her to follow.

_I'll not delay my dream just for them! I'll get a bell without them! I know where the traps are. I can do this!_ The young brunette readied herself before sprinting to the other side of the field and jumping into the trees, quick to hide from sight now that her mind was made up.

"Is she not coming?" Sasuke asked dully, perched in the tree above Naruto who was quick to jump into the cover it provided.

"Nope, I mean didn't we go over this? This is most likely a team testing exercise. Guess the fear of being sent back to the academy was enough to get all logic to fly out the window yeah?"

"Probably, women, you know?" Sasuke replied, "now let's go get those bells. Reckon we have a shot?"

"Not even with Tenten. I've seen my Dad and Kakashi training, the guy is pretty tough. Which kind of makes the purpose of the test obvious, even without my little sister pointing it out."

"Wait," Sasuke stopped searching the area to turn to Naruto, "Your little sister was the one to realize it was a test of teamwork? How old is she again?"

"Nine," Naruto remarked offhandedly, concentrating on the sights and sounds in the training ground.

"God you have a freakish family Naruto," the Uchiha commented before turning back to looking out over the field in search of their enemy.

"Oh you have no idea,"

xXx

"So you decided to go it alone then?" a monotone voice echoed through the woods, assaulting Tenten from all directions, "Not the smartest idea, but to each their own."

"I'm not afraid of you! I'll get one of those bells if it's the last thing I do!" she shouted, pulling her scroll from her back and preparing herself for battle.

"Is that so?" Kakashi said from right behind her, his right hand coming down toward her neck to knock her out; his left holding on tightly to his prized Icha-Icha.

She spun instinctively, ducking below the strike and lashing out with a kick that the jounin easily jumped over.

With the small amount of time she gave herself she rolled backwards, unraveling her scroll in the same moment before pointing it at Kakashi.

"I've got you now," she grinned as smoke clouds erupted from the seals she'd revealed and kunai carrying explosive tags burst forth, all headed toward the man still reading smut.

xXx

Naruto and Sasuke's both snapped to attention when they heard an explosion rock the surrounding forest.

"Tenten?" Sasuke queried his blue-eyed teammate.

"You know I didn't set any explosives," Naruto uttered quickly as they launched themselves from the trees and sped across the battlefield in pursuit of the fight they'd missed the start of.

xXx

The smoke from the explosion cleared and there was nothing but a crater where the man had been standing.

"Damn it! I will get that bell Kakashi!" Tenten shouted as she stood, rolling her scroll back up.

"I'll admit," the omnipresent voice paused, giggling slightly before continuing, "that was slightly entertaining, but you'll have to try harder."

"Kakashi!"

There was no reply from the man who was already gone.

xXx

"So working together are we?" the jounin said to the two boys he could feel watching him, "smarter than Tenten at least," he added as he turned to face them through the woods, a number of trees blocking a clear view of the two children.

"Yeah well we don't lose our head at the threat of returning to the academy, we're too good for that," Naruto sneered.

"Yes, well the placement of those traps would say otherwise," the jounin announced, "I could have walked through them blind-folded, you'll have to try better than that,"

"Oh you have no idea what I'm capable of," Naruto smiled, "Sasuke let's relieve this man of those bells,"

"With pleasure," the Uchiha grinned, dashing toward the jounin in what appeared to be a headlong attack.

"You're going to get nowhere in the shinobi world with that kind of thinking," Kakashi sighed, preparing to lash out at the eleven year old bearing down on him, darting in amongst the trees to reach the jounin standing resolutely with his copy of Icha Icha.

As soon as Sasuke was in range to attack, Kakashi lashed out, hoping to see how the boy would react. What happened was not what he expected.

Sasuke brought his left arm up as if parrying the blow, his arm racing toward Kakashi's fist in slow motion, and then it dawned on Kakashi what felt wrong.

The 'Uchiha' burst into a cloud of smoke, out of which Naruto Namikaze emerged, sword and shield in hand.

Kakashi's fist collided with the hardened hide and steel of the guarding instrument and Naruto finished his parrying motion as best he could, his arm arcing out and down to try and push the jounin's fist out of the way while he lunged forward with his right hand, the tip of his blade directed at the slim string holding the bells to the belt of their sensei.

Kakashi quickly hopped backwards, easily outpacing the young boy before Sasuke's barrage of shuriken came flying at him from the side. He again took another jump backwards, deflecting what few shuriken would have hit him.

What happened when he landed was different this time, as the ground gave way completely and Kakashi found himself falling into a pit roughly six feet deep.

Placing his right hand to the wall he channeled chakra to get traction and spun the rest of his body to the dirt surface, stopping his descent before jumping back out, this time into the trees; avoiding whatever fate lay at the bottom of the trap.

"The first attack is always a feint," Naruto's voice echoed from within the woods, the jounin having lost sight of the two during his descent.

"And the second," and Sasuke added eerily.

"And you only saw the traps I wanted you to see," Naruto finished cheekily, "Now let's play a little game."

The sound of a rope being cut was all Kakashi heard before a massive log came arcing down from the canopy above, heading straight for him.

He jumped away before it could do any damage but as he was flying through the air he heard the sound of tightening ninja wire and from the leaves of the forest floor a wall of the sharp metal sprung up before his eyes.

Still carrying the momentum of his jump he went through a number of hand seals before disappearing in a puff of smoke, the log that had just been used against him cut into tiny pieces when it emerged on the other side of the trap.

When the smoke cleared Kakashi was standing on a tree limb, his book in hand, waiting for another attack.

"I'll give you one more attempt, and then it's my turn. I have to say this little foray has been fun, better than Tenten managed but then again I can't say I'd expect much less from the heir to the Hokage and the son of the Chief of Police,"

The only response Kakashi got from the two graduates hiding in the woods around him was the sound of three kunai flying through the air. He merely spun to avoid the first, ducked under the second and struck the third from its flight path, knowing that wasn't the real attack.

Shuriken were the second flying objects to assail the jounin, not even seconds having passed from the previous attack. Only this time it wasn't just three. A veritable barrage emerged from the canopy of a tree giving Kakashi less than a moment to react; but he wasn't going to let them dictate his movements again, he'd not fall for the same trick twice.

Quick as a flash his hand was darting through the space in front of him, deflecting the tiny pieces of metal to his left and right, the flying stars of steel embedding themselves in the woods behind him.

He stood perfectly still as the barrage finally came to an end around him, his one eye peeled for any signs of danger. He was about to go on the offensive, deciding that he'd given them enough of a chance to get the bells when he felt the wind pick up for a moment before he was hit with a torrent of air and a shout rang out.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The fireball, enlarged and carried by the wind burnt a swathe through the forest, turning whatever was in the way of the swirling, broiling ball of red death to ash as it headed straight for the jounin.

Ever so quick to react he dropped from the tree branch he was standing on, kicking off the trunk of the tree as he did so and rolling to safety on the ground, just as Naruto came bursting out of the trees, sword and shield in hand.

The jounin had finished the roll and the graduate was upon him, only he wasn't. Naruto had simply come out of the dense foliage aggressively, sword raised in a threat before sprinting past the recovered jounin and back further into the trees, blocking the kunai that was sent his way with a short movement of his shield.

"Hey Kakashi!" Sasuke yelled from the opposite direction, causing their sensei's head to snap back in the direction Naruto had come from.

And that was when he saw the small pellet sitting on the ground, the pellet that hadn't been there a second ago.

The flash bomb was enough to momentarily blind the one eyed jounin and that was when they struck.

Sasuke and Naruto came at the jounin as fast as they could with every intent to recover the bells.

And then Kakashi did something they'd never seen him do before.

He put away his copy of Icha Icha and drew a second kunai.

Steel clashed with steel as the young boys danced around the temporarily blinded ninja, never gaining any ground nor losing any.

They simply couldn't hit him and as Sasuke ducked under a strike from the shinobi who was fighting the both of them blinded he realized the futility of the test.

Sure Naruto had told him they weren't supposed to win, but this was ridiculous. Two children, no matter how gifted were never going to best Kakashi of the Sharingan, the most elite jounin of Konoha and one of the few people in the village who trained alongside Minato Namikaze.

The silver haired ninja slowly regained his sight and with every moment pressed the advantage it gave him. He lashed out with more ferocious attacks. Attacks Sasuke was just managing to avoid while Naruto blocked them with his shield, hoping to get an opening, if they didn't get the bells soon they'd never get them, once fatigue started to set in they'd be lost.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out as he turned away from the fight, causing Sasuke to do the same, each of them running up a nearby tree, looking like they were about to withdraw before Naruto launched himself away from the trunk he'd been sprinting up, falling toward the jounin. His shield was held in front of him as he turtled behind it, his right hand holding his sword out around the side, ready to jab at his target.

From behind Sasuke was also jumping, having seen what his friend was doing and acting accordingly, only instead of attacking with his kunai he launched a number of shuriken toward the bells on the jounin's waist.

Kakashi saw them coming. His left hand snapped down to his waist, the kunai in his grasp glinting as he deflect the incoming missiles while he sprinted forward under Naruto in a display of speed they'd yet to see from the man during the encounter. A quick jump later and he was spinning in the air behind the young shinobi, his foot arcing toward his target.

The kick made solid contact, sending Naruto flying toward Sasuke, the two of them colliding midflight and tumbling to the ground. However just as Kakashi was about to touch down from his quick airborne response there was a whistling, the whistling associated with flying projectiles, a lot of flying projectiles; all of them very sharp.

He contorted himself enough that he avoided the majority of the onslaught that came at him from the side, deflecting the weapons he couldn't. Sasuke and Naruto saw their opportunity. Tenten was finally in the picture and they'd give Kakashi another run for his money now that she was there to back them up.

"Enough!" Kakashi shouted with enough presence to get them all to stop in their tracks, the young brunette Tenten emerging from her hiding place in the woods.

"You all pass. Although I'm rather disappointed with your performance Tenten, breaking away from the group like that wasn't exactly a good start but Naruto and Sasuke your performance was outstanding," he said with a serious look at Tenten before eye smiling at Naruto and Sasuke.

Tenten looked down toward her feet in shame as the two young boys congratulated themselves although Naruto couldn't help but notice their teammate and the look of embarrassment on her face.

"Uhh, actually Sensei, Tenten broke away from the group at the start in order to draw you to this location, we knew she'd be the priority target then, take out the weak targets first and all that. And if she was the priority target then we could set the field of the battle," Naruto explained.

"Is this true?" Kakashi questioned. "That's some serious strategy if you're telling the truth Naruto. I'm impressed,"

"Ummm," Tenten tried to say before just deciding to nod, her face red as she stared at her feet.

"Well in that case well done! You all pass, so meet me tomorrow at eight at the Hokage's tower for our first official mission," as soon as the jounin had finished speaking his Icha Icha was in his hand and he'd disappeared in the cover of a cloud of leaves.

"How could you say that it was all part of the plan!" Tenten barked as soon as their sensei was gone, her face red in anger as she glared at Naruto.

"I don't know, because you looked embarrassed and because you're our teammate now, and teammates cover for each other don't they?" Naruto smiled coolly, he thought his reason had been pretty good anyway.

"What? You thought because I was embarrassed I'd want you covering for me? What part of that wouldn't make me more ashamed of what I did Baka! I could have handled it, I'm going to become the greatest Kunoichi ever and I don't need stupid boys covering for me!" Tenten announced harshly before storming off out of the woods.

"Ugh, what's her problem?" Sasuke muttered to his friend as Tenten was leaving.

"I don't know,"

"BOYS! THAT'S MY PROBLEM! Speak louder next time why don't you?" Tenten shouted back over her shoulder.

"Riighhttt," the black haired Uchiha drawled, "anyway do you wanna get lunch?" he asked, turning to his friend.

"Yeah, sure let's get barbeque, I'm starving. We might even see Chouji and Shika while we're there, boast about our mission tomorrow," he grinned as they went about packing up their equipment before adding, "even if it's not like either of them will care."

xXx

Finally official genin the group was ready and excited for their first mission, until they found out what it was.

Tenten was still grumpy with Naruto for what he did, which didn't help them as they went about the endless number of menial jobs that fresh genin had to go through regardless of whose kid you were.

For once in his life Naruto found himself wishing there was some kind of free pass up into the C ranks for being the Hokage's son. But alas, his name might have gotten him unwanted attention from girls and no real respect but it didn't get him better missions.

"We've been doing nothing but shoveling crap, painting walls, and tending to gardens for an entire week Gramps," Naruto whined to his grandfather after the long and boring day he'd had as a genin while Atsukaji hammered away at a red hot blade, "I mean I wish I'd get something a little more exciting for once."

"Oh, actually," the wizened hunter remarked, dumping the blade into oil as he stood, walking to his workbench where he rifled through a bunch of miscellaneous items, from potions and nets, to hammers and tongs before he picked up a scroll and tossed it to his grandson who was sitting on the bench on the opposite side of the room.

"A request to take out a monster just came in. It isn't too far away and I thought you'd be interested; it's something not really from around here," Naruto's eyes lit up as he said this, "Strangely enough there's been a lot more monster activity recently and the hunter's guild's been hard pressed to keep their numbers down. Looks like you'll be getting some more missions."

"So what is it?" the young boy asked even as he unrolled the scroll to take a look.

"A Qurupeco. Figure it's not too dangerous, considering you've been taking on Great Jaggi,"

"Awwww man, but it's just an oversized bird, I thought you were gonna give me a Rathian or something. They look so cool in the drawings dad's done of them,"

The old smith laughed at that, "Give you a Rathian! Hah! Yeah right, those things are mean! Kid you're lucky to be getting that 'oversized bird' as you put it. Trust me, they might not seem like much but don't underestimate them and never let it get away. Those bastards are wily beasts."

"Yeah yeah, whatever, so when do I leave?" Naruto queried the old man that acted as his hunt manager.

"Go pack. You leave tonight, it's not a long trip to the mountain, so you should be back by tomorrow night or early the next morning if you make good time, just don't get lost." Atsukaji smiled, "And good luck kid, be careful out there,"

"Will do gramps," the young black haired genin replied with a smile before jumping off the bench and sprinting out the flaps with a final, "Seeya old-timer!" making his way home to prepare for the coming hunt.

xXx

"Good work today, Kakashi, in top form as always," Minato complimented as he used his Hiraishin no Jutsu to retrieve the kunai that he'd thrown in their short training bout, "You'll need to be if you're looking after Naruto and Sasuke," he laughed.

"About that Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied, "when will you be willing to give them a C-rank? While it's amusing to watch them toil away at tedious chores and it gives me time to read Icha Icha they are getting restless and it's only been a week,"

"Afraid they'll prank you out of spite?" Minato smiled. While he wouldn't ever have done such a thing he wouldn't put it past an impatient Naruto.

"Not really, although the thought of Naruto pranking anyone is frightening. No, it's just they are wasted resources. Kumogakure is growing in power, they have been for a long time, always looking for ways to improve their strength, never willing to negotiate a treaty with the exception of trying to steal a jutsu or Kekkai Genkai."

"Yes, that was a mess, we only just managed to get out of the Hyuuga situation without anyone losing their heads."

"Exactly, and we don't even have a Jinchuuriki if worse comes to worst. Do we even have any idea who stole it?"

"I have my theories, again I believe it might have been Kumogakure, but there is no concrete evidence to support that, one day Kushina was in the village the next she wasn't. I just remember walking into class one morning after spending the previous afternoon with Tsumei and the girl was gone. I didn't find out what was special about her until much later, and she was never seen during the war so it's safe to assume that whatever power the Kyuubi holds they hadn't manage to harness it by then," Minato sighed, Kumogakure were an incredibly large thorn in his side.

"As I was saying Hokage, Sasuke is gifted, Tenten seems talented and Naruto is a downright genius, his plan of attack was incredible, I just feel they are wasted on D-ranks." Kakashi remarked.

"You'd be mistaken there Kakashi,"

"You don't think they're ready for D-ranks?"

"Oh no, Naruto's been ready for C ranks since the age of 9, the only reason he graduated now was that I still wanted him to learn the finer points of being a shinobi and how to socialize, if he is ever going to lead this village he needs to not only be a great fighter but an even greater diplomat. What I mean to say is that Shizuka is the real genius of this family; Naruto just follows his mother's number one rule to the letter. Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm sure Tsumei has made something wonderful for dinner," Minato offered after his explanation.

"Oh. Yes," Kakashi uttered, "but sensei, what rule are you talking about?"

"Preparation is everything," Minato replied simply before making his way inside.

XXXXXX

Omake #1  
The Hunger of the Hunt: First Kill  
Naruto, Age 8

Namikaze Naruto and Ryooshi Atsukaji moved through the woods with ease, their feet, and in the case of Atsukaji his stump, impacting the leafy ground swiftly as they made their way toward a nest of jaggi.

He had a strange drive, an inexplicable urge to hunt, not to mention increased senses, but the problem was he was also starting to get a rather persistent headache.

His grandfather had told him all about his Kekkai Genkai that morning when he'd awoken to loud noises and the strange sight of his eyes. It had turned out the noises weren't particularly threatening, just every day noise louder than he was used to hearing and he was sure it was something he'd get used to.

But that was how he found himself charging through a portion of the woods a good distance from the village of Konoha as the sun began to set. He was on the hunt and they were in an area where the jaggi population had been starting to increase, so his grandfather thought to kill two birds with one stone. Clear up Naruto's headache while cleaning out a nest of jaggi, they knew it was nearby; they just had to find it.

Naruto was excited, nervous but excited as they closed in on the position of nest of the carnivorous beasts, Atsukaji stopping every now and again to inspect the surrounding area, looking for clues. Neither of them said a word as they came closer and closer to their target.

The sword and shield that Naruto was carrying felt foreign to him, so used to the small ninja weapons he'd been training with in the academy, and against his father and Sasuke. The shield was a simple round steel affair and his sword wasn't any more extravagant, a curved sharp steel blade.

When he'd asked his grandfather why he'd need such a weapon when the smith had given it to him that afternoon he'd just laughed, responding with, "What? You think a kunai is going to be enough to take down a monster? They're called monsters for a reason kid. Most people don't survive encounters with these things; it's why very few people take on the responsibility of taking them down. I wasn't going to have you fight them with a simple kunai."

It wasn't long after the sun had set that they came upon a clearing that backed up to a sheer cliff. In the center of the wall at ground level was a dark opening that looked like it led to a rather deep cave.

"What's the bet that we'll find plenty of the bastards in there?" Atsukaji laughed, "I'll call them out and you fight them alright?"

"Wait? You're not going to help me?" Naruto had been excited about fighting these creatures, creatures he'd seen in his father's journal, but why wasn't he getting any help?

"This is your fight kid, I've got faith in you, you'll do great, besides I need to be ready if something bigger and nastier comes along, something you can't handle," his grandfather explained seriously, "now watch this,"

Tilting his head back and taking the deepest breath Naruto thought anyone could take Ryooshi Atsukaji proceeded to let out an ear splitting call, a screech that stopped and started as if he was somehow calling to the beasts in their own language, something Naruto would have thought impossible for a human. It echoed around the clearing, bouncing off the wall before fading away.

Naruto walked out into the clearing, ready to face whatever these monsters could throw at him.

It was a few moments before there was activity at the entrance to the cave, and then they emerged; a small pack of three jaggi and one jaggia.

The jaggi stood roughly six feet tall, an intimidating height for the young boy. Looking very much like a raptor they had thin builds with each of their heads sporting a multi-coloured frill that stood out from the rest of their scaled purple bodies. When they saw the young boy they let out shrill calls, screaming at him aggressively and baring their deadly fangs.

More solidly built with a thicker skull, lacking the frill and sporting a much longer tail the jaggia's roar was deeper, and it was clear to Naruto that it was in charge of the small group. While a larger beast it wasn't sporting as upright a frame as the jaggi.

The jaggi were the first to move, sprinting in to close the distance with surprising speed. One attacked head on while the others flanked the boy, each of them calling out as if communicating.

Naruto just stood watching the oncoming assault before he finally took action.

He moved right first, closing the distance to the threat rearing its head back in attempt to bite down on him.

Stepping to the right and lashing out with a swing across his body he barely cut into thick hide of the scaly creature before rolling past the creature as it turned to attack him.

Getting to his feet quickly he looked down at the blade in his hand, the edge covered lightly in blood; it had indeed cut past the scales of the monster but he knew he hadn't wounded it too deeply.

He threw a handful of shuriken at the jaggi bearing down on him as the jaggia came charging at him from his flank. A diving roll backwards was enough to get him clear of the attack.

The ninja stars did little to deter the three jaggi from their charge, the metal simply bouncing off their scales.

With the jaggia still recovering from its own charge the jaggi were the immediate threat and were bearing down on him. With little time to move he brought up his shield arm up as the jaggi on the left went to bite into him, its face bouncing off the hard steel and rattling his frame, sending shocks of pain up his shoulder.

He pushed through the pain and lashed out in a waist high swing with his sword, giving it as much power as he could. The sword impacted harshly with the leg of the jaggi on the right, a snapping sound echoing out as it recoiled, screeching in pain.

The jaggi in the middle was unimpeded though and bit down on the young boy's left shoulder before he could move out the way, pain searing through his system at the injury.

He dropped his shield, no longer able to hold it up with the loss of the use of his left arm and brought the blade in his right hand up, slicing the neck of the beast that had a grip on his shoulder open. It fell to the ground in a mess of blood as the liquid life spilled out across the dirt; the monster squirming in pain as it began to die.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder courtesy of the adrenaline rushing through his system he bounded after the injured jaggi as it began its retreat, the other still recovering from the blow to the head it inflicted upon itself.

Naruto launched himself off the ground and through the air leading with his right shoulder, charging the unstable jaggi and causing it to fall to the ground. Raising his blade he brought it down one handed across the neck of the beast. It wasn't enough to cleave the head from the body completely but it was enough to make sure it wasn't getting back up again.

Hearing pounding footsteps he turned to find the jaggia once again bearing down on him. It spun as it approached lashing out with its heavy tail, an attack Naruto had to roll along the ground to avoid.

He stepped past the jaggia after ducking under its offensive and struck out with the tip of his blade at the final jaggi sprinting toward him. The scales of the beast held for a moment, the hide of the monster bending inward for a moment before the metal broke through flesh and slipped between the ribs of the beast, piercing its heart. It died a twitching mess on the end of a blade.

Trying to pull the blade free Naruto had to abandon it when the jaggia attacked again, this time in a full side-on body charge that he only just managed to avoid; springing off the ground at the last second and arching his back over the incoming threat as blundered foward beneath him.

Stopping his fall with his single good hand posted on the ground he flipped his feet down and got them underneath himself before drawing a kunai and charging toward the monster head on.

It returned the sentiment, pawing the ground with its feet before roaring and bounding back at him.

They closed the distance in what seemed like slow motion for the boy, the seemingly inevitable collision an eternity away.

At the last second he dodged to the left of the creature, wrapping his right arm around its neck in passing he swung himself up onto its back where he proceeded to stab both of its eyes out with his kunai.

It went into a rage, stomping and twisting, trying to shake the boy, but he gripped its scaly hide with his legs, reinforcing his hold with chakra.

And then the strangest feeling came over him.

Giving in to the urge within he reached out with his hand and gripped the neck of the wild monster. As easy as drawing his own energy from within himself he started to draw the life force of the creature beneath him.

He didn't know how long it lasted but with every second that passed the beast grew weaker, its movements less pronounced. And with every moment he grew stronger. At first there was a searing pain in his shoulder as the sinew within reknitted itself and his wound closed and every moment after that he felt better than ever.

When it was finished the beast beneath him was lifeless and it was if he'd never been involved in a fight. The only evidence of combat being the holes in his clothing and the blood stains.

Walking over to retrieve his weapon he had to admit it felt good.

His headache was gone, for now.

* * *

**Annotations**

(1) - Google Commander's Dagger Mh3, the first image result is what his sword and shield look like.

* * *

**So I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of The Gift of the Wyvern, whether you're a monster hunter fan or not I hope to try and make this as accessible as possible to Naruto fans in general. As you can see there is/is going to be a lot of OC in this story.**

**I would also like the chance to point out that I currently do not have a dedicated beta for this story as my main co-author (Rixxell) can only handle helping me with my first two stories at this current time. Which I can completely understand.**

**If you'd like to be a beta for this story just send me a PM telling me why you think you'd make a good beta and a bit about yourself and I'll let you know if I'd like you to be.**

**Anyway until next time. Hopefully it isn't as long a wait for any of my stories as this period of inactivity has been, peace out. **


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